1 posts from April 29, 2013

April 29, 2013

Following the last round of the draft on Sunday, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland agreed to speak with me privately after his open media availability.

This is how it went:

Mando: Your shining moment in this draft?

"Well, obviously I went after the player [Dion Jordan] I really wanted. That was the highlight, to go up and get the player we really wanted and really coveted and be able to get him at the price we got him was even a bonus."

Mando: Why him?

Jeff Ireland: "He jumps out at me. I don't like to compare players but we do a lot of that in our business. I've seen players like him that have great success. He reminds me of several players that have played that position. They're hard to find. The special ones are hard to find.

"And I think the guy can be special. I think that's why.

"And to follow up with your question, the draft is not only just trying to fill needs. I really don't go into the draft trying to fill this need, then this need and this need. I go into the draft building the board as equal as I can. I put the players up there that are the best football players and then marry needs into the best football players. I understand everybody thinks we have a tackle need. And I would say that's something we need to address whether it's a must or a need. But that player jumped out at me and I felt like I had to go get that player."

Mando: What are you going to do at tackle?

Jeff Ireland: "We'll see. The tackle position is an important position. It's an important position. But I feel like we have some flexibility. There are some options out there. I have some things up my sleeve that might work out. We're going to have to fill the need probably with a veteran guy on the street at some point."

Mando: At left tackle?

Jeff Ireland: "We'll see."

Mando: Why not do the trade with Kansas City for Branden Albert instead of drafting cornerback Jamar Taylor in the second round?

Jeff Ireland: "Because I didn't think it was the right thing for us."

Mando: Why?

Jeff Ireland: "Well, I'm not going into that because I'm not so sure it doesn't work it."

Mando: You mean down the road?

Jeff Ireland: "Yeah. Again, I never say never. I don't want to get into the details of that trade right now when it could or couldn't happen done down the road."

Mando: The moment during this draft you said, 'Dang it, I wish I hadn't done that?' Was it when you traded out of the 82nd pick and then had to trade back in?

Jeff Ireland: "You know, that was not a moment that I said, 'Ahh, crap.' I traded out and got the extra fours. And then there was a run. You have a certain number of players on the board and when you trade out you figure someone is going to be there. You have three or four and you think someone's going to be there. And then all of a sudden, five or six picks, boom, boom, boom, boom, guys went off. And it wasn't only in that round but there were rounds where players on our board were getting picked off like crazy. I felt like I needed to go back in there and get a player we really wanted versus settling on a player."